AC/DC officially announced today what the music world suspected for months, that co-founder guitarist and co-songwriter Malcolm Young has left the band for good after 41 years.

Back in April the 61-year old Young was “taking a break” due to an unspecified illness as AC/DC produced their new album in Vancouver. Young’s nephew Stevie Young filled in during the sessions and now will replace him in the band.

AC/DC announced on their website today, “Unfortunately, due to the nature of Malcolm’s condition, he will not be returning to the band.” He is said to be so ill he is in care in Sydney.

Malcolm Young formed the band in November 1973 with younger brother Angus. While the spotlight focused on Angus and its two singers, the late Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, Young kept a low profile rarely giving interviews. But his rhythm chords, delivered with simplicity and discipline, were an essential part of the AC/DC sound which sold 200 million albums.

If you’re looking to book AC/DC or any other act for your event, e-mail kevin@bookingconnection.com for more information.

Buying event tickets at a re-seller usually means you’re paying a hefty premium over the original ticket price. Why?

In a recent Forbes magazine article by Steve Pociask of the American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research says it may be the lowest prices on the secondary market that’s the reason.

Mr. Pociask slammed both the NFL and Ticketmaster for setting arbitrary minimum prices for tickets sold on Ticketmaster’s Ticket Exchange. The keeps fans from selling unwanted tickets at a discount on those sites.

In the article Mr. Pociask said that fans wanting to see a game at an affordable price might be able to “on some secondary market websites are selling for less than face value. Sellers and buyers are both better off from the transaction.”

But he recommended that people looking for a deal might want to avoid Ticket Exchange, where teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars apparently don’t allow tickets to be resold for less than $35. That’s unlike sites such as StubHub, where some late-season game tickets were available for as low as $21. Apparently almost every NFL team has a minimum ticket price that isn’t disclosed to the purchaser.

“The fact is that there is nothing more consumer-friendly than cheap tickets,” he wrote. “When teams collude to fix prices with online resellers, consumers are the losers in the deal.”

Think back to college. The professors who stood in front of the class and just droned on and on about the topic put everyone to sleep and you were on your own to learn the material. The ones who used visual aids and continually involved the class were the professors who made learning enjoyable and you picked up the subject so much easier. It’s the same with your events. More visuals and more interactivity means higher interest rates among your attendees.

Here are five tips on what to look for in a remarkable conference speaker.

As the saying goes, Content is King. Your speaker is just the messenger. They must get the information across. They also should provide follow up information in their social media networks. So if they don’t have a really strong network, they may not be the superstar you need.

They understand your participants. If a speaker doesn’t arrange a phone call or visit to discuss who your attendees are, re-think that speaker. You’re likely to get a generic, boiler plate speech that doesn’t stimulate any thought. Targeting the content you want is key.

They tell you the specific audio-visual equipment they need. This isn’t being a pain, it’s making sure you have all the equipment needed for a great presentation. They may also ask questions you can’t answer, but will need to find out like the display ratio of your projector or the presence of wifi in the room.

They motivate communication during the session. It’s difficult to listen to someone for an hour, so your speaker must understand how to involve the attendees in the session. This stimulates thinking, which invests the audience in their own learning.

They require a fee to speak. That old axiom, “you get what you pay for” is especially true with speakers. Unless this is someone whose lectures you are familiar with and they are doing you a favor, never accept a free speaker for a major conference. If they don’t think enough of their talents and information to be paid … it’s likely not worth it.

These are just five of many tips you should employ when looking for a remarkable speaker. You shouldn’t ignore anyone who has great charisma and is an entertaining storyteller. But if they combine the five tips above, you’ll have a powerful presentation that your attendees will remember. If you’d like any help with speakers, please contact us at www.bookingconnection.com.

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